Steering-wheel lock.



T. D. STANLEY.

STEERING WHEEL LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY9, 1910.

985,468, Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

UN TE STATES PATENT OFFICE;

THEOD OBE D STANLEY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

STEERING-WHEEL LooK.

To all whoinit may concern 7 3e itknown that I, Tnsononn D, STAN- nnrpcitizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wfayne, State of Mic'hi gan, have inrented a certain new and useful Improvement in Steering-.Wheel Locks, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptioii of the'same, such as will enable others skilled .in the art to which it pertains to make and use thesame, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form a part-of this specification.

M v invention relates tot an improvement in locks for-steering wheels for automobiles, and its object is to'pro'vide means whereby the steering wheel or handle may he temporarily thrown outof operative" relation with the steering-post,the purpose being to put the steering mechanism out" of.com-- mission when the owner leaves the automobile in order that it cannot be driven by anyone not authorized to useit,

In the drawings aceompaniing th'i'sspeci- -fication': Figure 1 is avertical sectional View through the steering post and the hub of the operating ivheel,-,-the view being d1- riderl along its central line.-'--one-half shoW-.

ing the parts in the position occupied when the operating wheel is adapted to actuate the! steering post; the other and right-hand side of the view showing the, position-occupied by the parts when the steering wheel is uncoupled from -.-the post.- Fig. 2' is a plan view of one of thefixedaannular disks or tumblers. Fig. 3 is aplan View of oneof the moyable annular disks' o'r tumblers, Fig. t is a plan viewandfragmenta j side elevation of the casting secured to the upper end of the steering-post. Fig. 5 is a sideel'e'vation and plan -view .o'f'tlie bolt. Fig. 6 is a sideelevation of the screw-threaded member engaging the casting shown in Fig. 4.

t-he-steeringwheel. p

. Referring now'to the letters ofreference placed upon the draivings:Aindicates the steering post. Ban annular casting secured to the post provided with an internal screwthreaded portion-B'.-.

B is a tubular sleere-incasing thesteering post-YA and the casting B jw lCh lii -iutm mobile vconstruction ist-u su formed of brass' g limits of its slotted portion.

m'i is an invertedplan view'd f the hub ofchines.

Specification 0! Letters latent. Patentedlieb IQIL Application fi1ed-May 9, 1910. Serial No. 560,355 'J C' is a screw-threaded member I detail in Fig. 6) engaging the internal threaded portion B of the casting D is the hub of the steering whee D" the Wheel being securedto vthegv radiating;

spokes D of the hub in the usual manner; (1 1s a stepped mutilated.annularjfla nge (shown in detail in Fig. 7) formedintegral with the hub and over-lapping the upper end of'the screw-threaded.inember QC;

between the upper end of the screw-threaded member C and the cup-shaped. element the lower stepped-portion zZ' ofuthe flange" being adapted to enter the notchesb formed on the upper end of the casting B.

F is aspindle sleeved urithin theeasting' B havinght its upper endv a fla ngeF'.engaging the-lower wall of the' eup-shapfed element E.

F-'- is a not engaging the sere'w tlireadd" portion of the spindle and bearifrg"upon underside of the screw-threaded member Q wherebythe cup-shaped element.,nlrd sorew -i' threaded member are secured together. T."

' f is a slot formed in the spindle, apin projecting through said sio gaging the walls of the casting-B by of which the spindle is held Wi hin? tionliutis free to reciprocate G are a plurality of station disks or \i'ard's' housed in the pup-shaped portion of the element E, e'acli-prov1 ded with a radiating slot 9 for the p'asisageof a key (notshown) or other ..operating device.-

jso

These several disks are held against rotation.

by the projecting ear 9 formed on 'tl ie ".pe+ riphery of the disk n'bich enter a comple hentary depression (not shown) fforn etl the inner ivall of the cup-shaped elementgjg H denotes a plurality of rotata'ble'annul'ar? shaped. element, which may be spacetlfaparft bv the fixed disks Gm; It willbe readilyf uii'derstood that the several fixed and rotata tile disks are adapted to be groiipedj.'in1nnumerable combinations whereby different; key. formations will he required to operate? disks or'wards also housed within the gllpf:

the" locking mm-hanisxn of, different rnaQ I- is abolt arc-shaped in cross-section having an internal spiral way i to receive the pro ecting ear it formed on the disk H.

As indicated at g in Fig. 2, the fixed disks,

G are notched for the passage of the bolt I. So also the rotatable disks H are notched as indicated 'a-t ht in Fig. 3, to accommodate the bolt I which is raised or lowered by turning the disks H to the right and left by means of. a suitablekey. Projecting from thelower end of the bolt I is an .ear-t adapt ed to enter a notch f f ormed'in the flange:

F of the spindle F.

J is a spring housed in the recess formed in the cup-shaped element E' adapted-to en milled portion being engaged with the cup shaped portion whereby the latter may be manually rotated.

Having denoted the-several parts by referenceletters, I'will now describe the oper-- ation of my device.

As previously indicated the left-hand portion of Fig. 1 shows a steering 'wheel in locked relation with the steering post while the right-hand portion of Fig. 1 shows the wheel free .to turn,--the steering mechanism being inoperative. We will assume that the wheel is first in the locked position shown in the left-hand side of the figure and that it is desired to throw the steering wheel out of commission. This result is accomplished by entering a properly formed key in the central opening formed in the several disks G and H,the'end of the key projecting into the notch f formed in the upper end of the spindle F. The key is now turned .which action serves to rotate the movable disks H whereupon the ears h of the disks H enter the spiral way of the bolt I forcing the bolt upward in the position shown .in the right-hand side of the figure, thereby lifting the ear 2" out of the -notch f of the spindle F. The bolt I being released from its locked relation"with the spindle, the cup-shaped element E mounted upon the upper end of the screw-threaded member (I is free to turn.. Now by manuallyrotating tlu "uption lifts the lower stepped portion d, of

the mutilated flange of the hub.'out of its locked "relation with the notched casting B mounted upon the upper end of the steering post, whereby the steering wheel-may freely turn without operating the steering post.

ortion-or operating handle, preferably milled on its edge, having a projectingrimoVerJapping'the cover plate K; -said to receive the end of the bolt Upon the steering wheel raised out of locked relation with the steering post, the

- bolt 1 is returned to its initial position by the reversed operation of the" key which causes the rotatable disks to force the bolt back to theposition initially occupied, 4, The key may then be withdrawn leavin" the d e-'" vice lockedagainstunlawful use 0 the automobile. It will thus be seen that the cupshaped element cannotbeymamiallyrotated to return the steering wheel to-its'lockedpo- 'sition until the key is inserted and-the bolt lifted out of its lockedyrelation with-the spindle. VVhenit; is'desired to put the steering wheel" into cmumission, the key is-inz-i serted as before and the boltraised.- The screw-threaded member C may'nowbe man ually turned by grasping the milled handle or rim K The screw-threaded member :6? i

is then tu'rnedto the position'indicatcd inthe.' left-hand side of Fig. 1". causing the lower step d of the mutilated flange toenter the notches formcdin the-upperrnd of thecastingB thereby locking the; hubiin pprative relation vwith the steering post. ekey is now turned and the bolt I forced back to its initial -position,--thc projecting ear-i of the bolt being forced into locked re- =lation with the flange of the spindle. It will be seen that the spindle F has only a, reciprocating movement, being held aga inst rotation-by the pin f which projects through -the' slot in the spindle ;-the notch or recess f is therefore-always in proper aline nent The screwthread member C and its connecting cupshaped element are free to turnupgn the spindle, by operating which the hub of the steering wheel may be locked to the steering post. or thrown out of commission as desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I clainris':-

1. In a steering mechanism for vehicles, the combination with a steering post provided with proj ections,.a wheel. provided with a hub slidabl'y mounted on said post,

said hub being provided with co-actingpro jections, manually operated means for mov .ing the projections of the hub into and out; of engagement with the. projections of the steerin post, a sliding bolt for locking said manually operated means, and key operated tumblers for, actuating said'biolt.

2. In a steering mechanism for 'vehicles,

an element housed within saidpost having a; screw-threaded connection therew th, means 1 2'c an annular steering post having a notched. wall at its upper end and provided iw '1th 1,n.' internally formed screw-threaded port oru.

iii formanually operating said element wherev byit may be raised or lowered, a hand wheel) for operating the post provided with a hub; adapted to be raised or lowered by manib" allyoperating said screw-threadedel'ement and having lugs to interlock with the the steering post, or be engaged therewith as desired.

3. Ina steering mechanism for vehicles, an annular steering post having a notched wall at its upper end and provided with an internally formed screw-threaded portion, an element housed within said post having a screw-threaded connection therewith, means for manually operatin said. element whereby it may be raised or lowered, a hand wheel for operating the post provided with a hub adapted to be raised or lowered by manually operating said screw-threaded element and having lugs to interlock with the notched Wall of the post, whereby upon raising or lowerin said screw-threaded element the hand wfieel may be released from the steering post or be engaged therewith as desired, and a locking mechanism actuated by a suitablekey adapted to lock said wheel in its operative and released relation to said post.

4. In a steering mechanism for vehicles, a steering post 'havingano'tched wall at its upper end, and provided with an internal threaded portion, a screw threaded member mounted in said post co-acting therewith, a

hub mounted on said 0st provided with projections, said hub being operated by the screw threaded member to engage and disengage the projections on the hub and steering post, and means for locking said screw threaded member in its adjusted positions. 5. In a steering mechanism for vehicles, asteermg post, a wheel for manually operating said post adapted to be released from the combination with a steering post having a notched wall at its upper end and rovided with an internally screw threaded portion, a screw threadedrmember mounted in said post coeacting therewith, a hub mounted on said post provided with projections, said hub being operated by said. screw threaded member to engage and disengage the projections on the hub and steering post, and key operative means for locking said screw threaded member in its adjusted positions.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two-witnesses.

THEODORE D. STANLEY. Witnesses:

GRACE E. WYNKOOP, SAMUEL-E. THOMAS. 

